Saint-Brieuc, Arcachon, Dieppe... Who is affected by the erosion of the French coastline?

Yanis Darras 9 p.m., February 3, 2023

It is the symbol of the rapid acceleration of the erosion of the French maritime coasts.

Built at the end of the 1960s more than 200 meters from the Atlantic Ocean, the "Le Signal" building located in the town of Soulac-sur-Mer in Gironde, is now only a few meters from the waves.

Emptied of its inhabitants for years, the demolition site was officially launched this Friday, February 3 by the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu. 

A first demolition which should be followed by dozens of others in the coming years.

Because with the gradual rise in water levels and the intensification of storms, due to climate change, the sea is progressing more and more in France.

Nearly 20% of the French coastline is affected by the phenomenon, i.e. more than 900 kilometers of coastline. 

Hundreds of municipalities affected...

In these areas, nearly 30 km² have been ceded to the ocean in 50 years, estimates the Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Planning (Cerema).

So, the State is trying to limit the disappearance of our land and has been drawing up since 2022 a list of the 126 municipalities most affected by the phenomenon and which will have to adapt their planning and urban planning policy to this reality. 

Among the most affected regions: Brittany.

Nearly 41 municipalities, including Saint-Brieuc or Le Palais, are on the government list.

This is followed by New Aquitaine, with 31 municipalities reported as particularly exposed to erosion such as Arcachon or Lacanau, Normandy with 16 listed municipalities including Dieppe, or the Pays de la Loire where six municipalities will have to quickly adapt to erosion. galloping. 

...on a sometimes contested list

The overseas departments are also affected, in particular Martinique which places 13 of its municipalities on the list.

But "we must be careful with this list", judge Yannick Moreau, president of the National Association of Coastal Mayors.

“Once the Climate and Resilience Law was passed in August 2021, the State made this list, which was in fact an uncompensated transfer of costs. The municipalities find themselves with new obligations to fight against erosion, but without means dedicated financial resources. And therefore, many towns and villages affected by erosion have not applied to join the list", explains the man who is also mayor of Sables-d'Olonne, who estimates that in reality, 400 municipalities are more or less exposed to the risk of erosion. 

Thousands of homes soon to be destroyed?

The only solution to slow erosion and limit the bill which would be counted "in tens of billions of euros" according to the mayor: fight against global warming.

"But in reality, the State asks the municipalities what it cannot do, that is to say that elected officials must today imagine what life on the coast will be like in 2100. But this will be us, the mayors, who will also bear the burden of also saying 'here, there is a risk'. And therefore, we will be on the front line of the discontent of the inhabitants", he regrets at the microphone of Europe 1. 

While it is still difficult to estimate the number of people displaced in France due to erosion, the first hypotheses published by the public authorities estimate that thousands of homes could be destroyed due to a risk of erosion in the decades to come.

A figure that could increase if countries are unable to sustainably reduce their CO2 emissions, and therefore to fight against climate change.